Images imbued with dignity

"This is a brilliant, important and properly appalling exhibition," he concluded.

Keane takes risks. The large canvases inspired by his Christian Aid-sponsored sojourn to Angola in 2006 are, at first glance, disconcerting.

Shanty, Bridge, Arsenal and Mine, all oil and inkjet on jute, depict colourfully dressed women and children against toned-down, almost monochromatic backgrounds of ravaged rural realities of post-war poverty and hardship.

Rendered with an energising, painterly swashbuckling mastery of stroke, the results captivate and force a reassessment of the information provided. In that sense, they are auto-subversive.

As in his series Guantanamerica, these are photo-based images put together with passion and empathy. Keane, as in Picasso's dictum, "paints things not as he sees them but how he thinks of them."

He is aware of "the limitations and pitfalls of simplification" but believes that "the complexities of any subjects can be alluded to sufficiently and lead to further involvement."

Asked by the Star about the dangers of aestheticising destitution, Keane points out that "dealing with any subject, in whatever medium, inevitably involves artistic decisions in order to communicate with the viewer.

"Much powerful art of the past which deals with the most hideous subjects is, in fact, beautiful - ironically, but that's the way it is," he stresses.

Keane assiduously probes the chosen reality, exploring the possibilities within it, both pictorial and thematic. Anger and tenderness are palpable and the highly tactile surfaces invite intimacy.

He deliberately spotlights the humanity of the figures, fleetingly separated from their background, imbuing them with a dignity and peer status omitted in the demeaning media portrayals which often just project emasculated victimhood.

"Sadly, my preconceptions regarding the desperate state of ordinary people in a country that is enjoying the fruits of huge oil revenues were substantiated. Almost half of Angola's population is under the age of 15 and life expectancy is only 41 years," Keane admits.

Is he a political artist? "The subjects I address are inevitably political, but my paintings and images are not polemical or ideological points of view. It just comes from being a human being on this planet."

He tells the story of two brothers, Luis and Amaral Samacumbi, who were separated for 27 years and forced to fight on opposing sides of the Angolan war. Friend to both, Keane has immortalised them in Brother 1 and 2. Their images of hyper-realistic detail are an eloquent metaphor for the indomitability of the human spirit.

Keane's willingness to "bang on" about pressing political realities is as rare as it is convincing and sincere. A perceptive, intelligent and courageous artist in our midst.

His next project Articles of Faith will address "the beliefs that this world - or the next - will be made a better place by somebody or other being killed.

Just one of many recent examples of this was the murder of Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam."

Exhibition runs until March 29. More info: www.johnkeaneart.com

MICHAL BONCZA